New initiative to tackle grassroots football in Prince George

PRINCE GEORGE – A new initiative launched by Football BC is looking to rebuild minor football in Prince George. The Football BC Northern Development Initiative is a participation program designed to stabilize and expand youth minor football in Prince George and Northern British Columbia. Football BC has tasked longtime Prince George Coach Mike Rositano with leading a locally lead program aimed at providing zero financial barriers to get youth training and scrimmaging right away. Rositano says the initiative will be a major boost for minor football in the City not just for players but for coaches and officials as well.

“We’re going to be able to provide coaches with resources. We can get coaches trained up properly to the safe contact level that the province and football Canada’s put out there. The same goes with, providing officials and getting officials training through the organization for officials. Most importantly we get kids on the field playing and structured games. So the coaches will learn how to coach from the young level and kind of work with them all the way up and providing resources that are not available to organizations that are not part of football. BC.” said Rositano.

Rositano says the goal is to add that spark back into minor football in Prince George and rebuild the pipeline for local players to eventually end up playing junior for their hometown Kodiaks. As for the Kodiaks who also run minor programs of their own Rositano says the possibility is there for the two programs to work together much like the Prince George Cougars and the Cariboo Cougars.